‘It sounds like witchcraft’: can light therapy really give you better skin, cleaner teeth, stronger joints?

Light therapy is clearly enjoying a wave of attention. You can now buy light-emitting tools designed to address complexion problems and aging signs along with aching tissues and periodontal issues, the latest being a toothbrush outfitted with tiny red LEDs, described by its makers as “a breakthrough in personal mouth health.” Worldwide, the industry reached $1 billion in 2024 and is forecast to expand to $1.8 billion by 2035. There are even infrared saunas available, that employ light waves rather than traditional heat sources, your body is warmed directly by infrared light. According to its devotees, it feels similar to a full-body light therapy session, enhancing collagen production, soothing sore muscles, reducing swelling and chronic health conditions and potentially guarding against cognitive decline.

Research and Reservations

“It appears somewhat mystical,” notes a Durham University professor, a scientist who has studied phototherapy extensively. Of course, we know light influences biological functions. Our bodies produce vitamin D through sun exposure, needed for bone health, immunity, muscles and more. Sunlight regulates our circadian rhythms, too, triggering the release of neurochemicals and hormones while we are awake, and preparing the body for rest as darkness falls. Artificial sun lamps frequently help individuals with seasonal depression to combat seasonal emotional slumps. Undoubtedly, light plays a vital role in human health.

Various Phototherapy Approaches

Although mood lamps generally utilize blue-spectrum frequencies, most other light therapy devices deploy red or infrared light. In serious clinical research, including research on infrared’s impact on neural cells, identifying the optimal wavelength is crucial. Photons represent electromagnetic waves, spanning from low-energy radio waves to the highest-energy (gamma waves). Therapeutic light application uses wavelengths around the middle of this spectrum, the highest energy of those being invisible ultraviolet, followed by visible light encompassing rainbow colors and finally infrared detectable with special equipment.

Dermatologists have utilized UV therapy for extensive periods to manage persistent skin disorders including eczema and psoriasis. It modulates intracellular immune mechanisms, “and suppresses swelling,” explains a skin specialist. “Substantial research supports light therapy.” UVA penetrates skin more deeply than UVB, whereas the LEDs we see on consumer light-therapy devices (which generally deliver red, infrared or blue light) “generally affect surface layers.”

Safety Considerations and Medical Oversight

The side-effects of UVB exposure, including sunburn or skin darkening, are understood but clinical devices employ restricted wavelength ranges – signifying focused frequency bands – which minimises the risks. “Treatment is monitored by medical staff, so the dosage is monitored,” explains the dermatologist. Essentially, the lightbulbs are calibrated by medical technicians, “to guarantee appropriate wavelength emission – unlike in tanning salons, where oversight might be limited, and we don’t really know what wavelengths are being used.”

Commercial Products and Research Limitations

Colored light diodes, he explains, “don’t have strong medical applications, but they may help with certain conditions.” Red wavelength therapy, proponents claim, enhance blood flow, oxygen utilization and skin cell regeneration, and promote collagen synthesis – an important goal for anti-aging. “The evidence is there,” states the dermatologist. “However, it’s limited.” Regardless, amid the sea of devices now available, “we don’t know whether or not the lights emitted are reflective of the research that has been done. Optimal treatment times are unknown, ideal distance from skin surface, whether or not that will increase the risk versus the benefit. Many uncertainties remain.”

Specific Applications and Professional Perspectives

Initial blue-light devices addressed acne bacteria, microorganisms connected to breakouts. Research support isn’t sufficient for standard medical recommendation – despite the fact that, says Ho, “it’s frequently employed in beauty centers.” Some of his patients use it as part of their routine, he mentions, but if they’re buying a device for home use, “we advise cautious experimentation and safety verification. If it’s not medically certified, oversight remains ambiguous.”

Innovative Investigations and Molecular Effects

Meanwhile, in innovative scientific domains, scientists have been studying cerebral tissue, identifying a number of ways in which infrared can boost cellular health. “Nearly every test with precise light frequencies demonstrated advantageous outcomes,” he states. It is partly these many and varied positive effects on cellular health that have driven skepticism about light therapy – that it’s too good to be true. Yet, experimental evidence has transformed his viewpoint.

The scientist mainly develops medications for neurological conditions, but over 20 years ago, a doctor developing photonic antiviral treatment consulted his scientific background. “He developed equipment for cellular and insect experiments,” he explains. “I was pretty sceptical. The specific wavelength measured approximately 1070nm, which most thought had no biological effect.”

The advantage it possessed, nevertheless, was its efficient water penetration, allowing substantial bodily penetration.

Mitochondrial Effects and Brain Health

Additional research indicated infrared affected cellular mitochondria. Mitochondria are the powerhouses of cells, creating power for cellular operations. “All human cells contain mitochondria, including the brain,” notes the researcher, who concentrated on cerebral applications. “Research confirms improved brain blood flow with phototherapy, which is generally advantageous.”

Using 1070nm wavelength, mitochondria also produce a small amount of a molecule known as reactive oxygen species. In limited quantities these molecules, notes the scientist, “triggers guardian proteins that maintain organelle health, protect cellular integrity and manage defective proteins.”

Such mechanisms indicate hope for cognitive disorders: oxidative protection, swelling control, and pro-autophagy – self-digestion mechanisms eliminating harmful elements.

Current Research Status and Professional Opinions

Upon examining current studies on light therapy for dementia, he says, several hundred individuals participated in various investigations, incorporating his preliminary American studies